'Bayonets and Horses:' Obama and Romney's Sharpest Debate Retorts

By Mark Micheli

October 23, 2012

See Tom Shoop's Live Blog for more from the third and final presidential debate.

Monday night's debate was much more cordial than we've come to expect--both candidates appeared calm and rarely interrupted each other. It even seemed Mitt Romney was in agreement with President Obama on many foreign policy issues--occasionally even complimenting the president on his foreign policy stewardship. But it would be a big stretch to call it cordial. It was still a contentious encounter at its core.

Below are the candidate's sharpest retorts from the evening:

"Horses and Bayonets" and a "Game of Battleship"

And the memes keep coming. Look to this line to stimulate the creative juices of the Internet hordes. In response to Romney's criticisms of proposed military cuts that might mean fewer Navy warships, Obama gave a sharp, pointed response.

Watch:

"We Can't Kill Our Way Out of This Mess"

Taking a page from the dove's playbook, and clearly in an effort to undercut the use of Osama Bin Laden's death for political gain, Romney criticized Obama's policy on counter terrorism saying "we can't kill our way out of this mess."